


you're never warm enough

by Hazazel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, BokuTeru Week 2016, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i'm only 4 years late !, rare pair bang that i'm not in anymore, with art !
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23631004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazazel/pseuds/Hazazel
Summary: The air crackles, and Yuuji hears a voice he doesn’t recognise. “Hey hey hey, is this working ?”“Yeah, whatever ‘this’ is, but if it isn’t the precog who sends you, you can suck my dick.”“Language !” the bright voice says. “I’m Owl, I’m psychic."or, the getting together superhero AU for two very rowdy boys who were very hurt but make it all better
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Terushima Yuuji
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23





	1. taglocks and crackling voices

Yuuji is running faster than he’s ever run before. The roots are catching up, though – fucking baldy and his mafia henchmen. The Sanctuary has been torn to pieces, is that not enough ? Do they all need to die too ?

What have they done to deserve this ?

The air crackles, and Terushima hears a voice he doesn’t recognise. “Hey hey hey, is this working ?”

“Yeah, whatever ‘this’ is, but if it isn’t the precog who sends you, you can suck my dick.”

“Language !” the bright voice says. “I’m Owl, I’m psychic. Thanks for the taglock, it’s way easier finding out about your whereabouts when I have something to trace back to you.”

Fucking hell, he’d forgotten about that. Taglocks, walkies, a census of who was at the Sanctuary, all those were the conditions under which the Hero Association would consider helping them. Yuuji had grit his teeth through the meeting, but he’d caved – nowhere else to go for them, now that the mafia was on their tracks. Hailstorm had probably been the last straw. Yuuji does not regret welcoming him in, only… they could have been more cautious. While he was in China, heroes and vigilantes were much more secretive, far from the parades organised for them in Japan. He kind of regrets coming back.

“You should turn left,” the voice says, and Yuuji almost jumps out of his skin in terror – he’d forgotten about the psychic.

“Fucking hell, don’t scare me like that,” he snaps, but he does turn left, just in time to avoid a large root. “Thanks, man.”

“Of course, dude,” Owl says. “You’ll be happy to know the others made it out safe, from what I can tell.”

Yuuji sighs in relief, and thinks of his packmates, of the misfits he’d gathered throughout the years, the home they’d built. He’s tearing up at the mere idea that one of them could be hurt. That’s why he agreed to the Association’s conditions about… “relocating”, or dealing with the “worst” of them. There’s no one who sticks out for the losers but themselves, in his humble opinion, and he’s been proven right countless times.

The roots chasing him become more and more sparse, and Yuuji starts to breathe again. When it looks like he’s entirely made it out, he collapses in the hollow at the base of a tree, shifting back to human, and immediately regretting it when he realises how cold he is.

“Uh, dude,” Owl’s voice is tight and embarrassed. “Fuck, I should have told you before you turned back into human shape, but I wasn’t tuned in -- I can see you.”

If Yuuji could say “LMAO” out loud, he would have. “Oh sweetheart,” he says, “There’s literally a bounty on my head in three different countries. My identity is less of a secret than the Daft Punk singers.”

Owl hoots with laughter – hoots, that’s the word. Yuuji starts to wonder if the guy’s not a shifter as well. He shifts back into his wolf shape, and tries to run a little to warm up, to no avail. Even worse, something must have gone wrong during his wild escape, because he’s limping a little, left back paw stinging when it touches the ground.

“Ok, now, you gotta get to the shelter,” Owl pipes in. “It’s, uh, it’s kinda far away.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Yuuji mutters. “Just give me directions, I’ll try and make this quick.”

“North-east from where you are. Gotta run for about five kilometres before you start seeing houses. Then you’d better turn back and get to the library quickly, before people start wondering why a giant golden wolf is walking down the streets.”

“Gotcha,” Yuuji answers, and he makes his way towards the city. The way is exhausting, especially after all that happened. Yuuji wants to slip into a warm bed, shifted into a wolf just so he can listen to the heartbeat of his packmates – a quiet hum, steady and reassuring. Yuuji wants to sleep, and not have to worry. Something in the air crackles, and at first, he thinks it’s Owl again, but drops of water start falling down the cloudy sky, slowed down by the leaves above him. Great, that was the last thing he needed. Yuuji hates the rain, and he hasn’t been able to change into warmer clothes before the shelter was attacked – he’s gonna freeze his ass off when he shifts back.

It takes an hour for him to notice the noise. He’d thought it was the hum of raindrops on the leaves, but when he realises the rain is gone, and the noise still persists, he asks out loud, “Owl ? You there ?”

“Shit, sorry,” comes the hasty reply. “Uh, yeah, got told to keep an eye on you. I’ve been singing so I don’t fall asleep. I can stop though, if it bothers you.”

“I could barely hear it,” Yuuji admits. “You can sing louder if you wanna.”

Silence follows, and Yuuji regrets saying anything. Without Owl’s comforting baritone, the walk is suddenly too quiet, too lonely. He realises that his breathing got heavier when the air crackles again, and Owl speaks to him.

“Hey, you gotta calm down, I’ve noticed some activity not too far from you. Campers, apparently, they’re gonna shit their pants if they see a wolf here !”

“Can you,” Yuuji laboriously starts, “can you sing again. Please.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, ok,” Owl says. There’s silence for a few seconds, and then, “What genre ?”

“Whatever you like,” Yuuji’s not picky, “I just. Don’t wanna feel alone right now.”

The words are raw out of his brain, and Yuuji thinks that if Owl can rummage into what’s going on in there, he knows perfectly well how messed up Yuuji’s been. Losing the Sanctuary feels like getting a limb torn right off – like somehow all the things he’s been striving for, all that talk of being stronger together, were all mush.

“I’m here,” Owl says after a pause, “I was, uh, I was getting the lyrics off the internet. Don’t wanna mess up the classics,” he jokes.

Yuuji snorts. “The classics” turn out to be anime openings, and if he could laugh in his wolf shape, he definitely would. There’s something so bizarre to being there, turned into a wolf, listening to a fucking psychic sing out “We are fighting dreamers,” while he runs off to an uncertain future after his home just got wrecked.

Eventually, the singing gets drowned out by the sounds of the forest awakening. Birds fill the air with trills, mice and other tiny critters make their way around. Only when the noise quiets down does Yuuji notice he’s in someone’s backyard.

“Uh, I should turn back, right ?” he asks Owl, who audibly startles out of a half-mumbled rendition of “Nagareboshi Kirai.”

“Holy hell, yeah !” he yells. “I didn’t think you’d make it this quick. Road’s to the left, then, look for the sign that says ‘Library,’ we’ll be there.”

“So, not an official Association venture,” Yuuji yawns. “I hope there’s a bed.”

“There’s plenty of beds ! That’s where they put me, when they got me.”

The memory seems sour, if Owl’s voice is true to his mind. Yuuji doesn’t press the issue.

Owl was right – there’s a road a few steps to the left, and he turns back, painfully, after having remained shifted for so long. “One day you won’t be able to get out,” Yukie warned. “One day you’ll shift and that’ll be it. No more Yuuji, just an animal.” She’d looked down at the wolf curled up on her lap, and her hands had tightened in his fur.

The “Library” signs are easy to find. There’s plenty everywhere and they lead to a nice little house in the suburbs of the town, where a woman with dark hair is tending to the flowerbeds. Yuuji startles when she calls out to him using his name – he wasn’t expecting a positive welcome.

“Come in,” she says, and she half carries him to the second floor, where a couple of rooms seem already inhabited.

“I’m-” he yawns. “I’m gonna sleep for a couple days, probably,” he says. “Would be good to eat a little before that happens.”

“I’ll be quick,” she says, and she is, coming back before he can blink with a sandwich and a pitcher of water.

A voice speaks to his ear again. “Hey hey hey,” Owls says softly. “You’re there, I’m glad.”

“You’re probably the only one, ‘cept for my packmates.”

“Don’t say that ! I’m sure you’ll make friends.”

“Friends,” Yuuji repeats. Yeah, right.

He falls asleep almost immediately. The bed is just too welcoming, and he’s just too cold. He knows he wakes up a few times, because he doesn’t die of dehydration, but he remembers none of it. It was barely daylight when he arrived, and now the sun is about to set.

Shit. Yuuji doesn’t even know if he’s allowed out the room. What if they have plans for him ? What kind of plans ?

The air crackles, and this time, Yuuji focuses enough to know that Owl is gonna talk to him.

“Oya ? A lazy wolf finally woke up ?” The voice is comforting enough that Yuuji doesn’t mind hearing it again. “Hey,” Owl says, voice fake-casual – disturbingly so. “I’m, uh, I’m outside your room.”

“Shit, dude, come in !” Yuuji must admit that he’s curious, about how the other looks like, what his actual voice sounds like.

“Do you want me to ? I meant it, when I say you could make friends. What happened at the shelter was awful, I don’t want you to feel lonely.”

“Uh. Oh, yeah, I mean,” Yuuji is at a loss for words, “yeah, we could be friends ? I guess ? You’re not like those stuck-up heroes I’ve met last time.”

“No one meets me. I’m not on the field anymore,” Owl says, that fake-casual tone seeping back into his voice. Yuuji knows what’s not said - “I fucked up too bad to be allowed out.”

“I won’t force you to meet me,” Yuuji clarifies. “You gotta protect that secret ID of yours, right ? But if you wanna be friends, sure, I guess. I ain’t got time for fakes though.”

“You wound me,” Owl says, but this time Yuuji can hear a smile.

The door opens slowly, and on the other side is a man Yuuji can immediately qualify as “Not what he expected.” Owl is strongly built, a quality you don’t often associate with psychics, and he’s smiling nervously, wringing his hands, hair gelled-up or standing straight from being pulled at, the tips dyed to an ashy grey. His eyes cross Yuuji’s and he winces.

“Can I come in ?” he asks shyly.

“It’s not even my house, come on, you’re just as welcome here as I am.”

“I do live here,” Owl says, and his smile becomes a little more genuine.

“Really ? You live next to the hot lady who opened the door ? Damn, lucky you.”

“Oh, Shimizu-san is kind of a celebrity, I wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her,” and Yuuji can hear in the protective tone he takes that “Shimizu-san” is way more than just a facade for the Association.

Silence falls, kind of awkward, and Yuuji thinks that it’s gonna stretch eternally, before Owl speaks up. “Oh, by the way. My name is Bokuto.”

“Sweet ! Mine’s Terushima,” he answers, “but you probably know that.”

“Yeah, I did, but still, gotta get to know people properly, instead of just using taglocks.”

“True that,” Yuuji agrees. “Any news from my crew ?”

Bokuto winces again. “I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

“Wow, I expected them to wanna break us up, but that’s severe.”

“I know, right ?” Bokuto vehemently says. “I told them it was unfair. You must be worried sick.”

“If someone died,” Yuuji manages to ask around the knot in his throat, “would I be allowed to know ?”

“Fuck. I don’t even know about that. I’ll ask them next time I see them, I swear.”

“Easy,” Yuuji says, both pained by the news and charmed by Bokuto’s genuine concern. “We got time, don’t we ?”

Bokuto visibly relaxes at that. “I guess so,” he says. “I gotta go soon, but just in case, I’m in room 412. Knock before you enter, though, I share it with a bro.”

“A bro,” Yuuji repeats. “Are you for real ?”

“Solid as a brick !” Bokuto beams. “Don’t hesitate, really, I’m usually not on duty.”

“Sure,” Yuuji says, and after an awkward wave, Bokuto is gone, closing the door behind him softly. He’s surprised, he really didn’t think the psychic would show up, considering how much of a rarity they are. Maybe he broke the rules for that – Yuuji suspects he wasn’t supposed to hear back from Bokuto.

He’s not opposed to hearing more, though.


	2. but then again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the title of this chapter was supposed to be the title of the fic. so uh. i changed the title of the fic. me, indecisive ? lmao  
> hope you enjoy !

Yuuji smiles into his cup when he sees Bokuto come down the stairs. He’s been living at the Library long enough to know all of Bokuto’s dirty little secrets, including his massive sweet tooth – which will make him come to the kitchen in the dead of night in search of spare chocolate.

What he won’t admit, though, is that he’s started enjoying those late nights, and early mornings, and even daytime conversations with Bokuto. The guy is sweet, you know ? He’s a massive anime fan as well as a Chad, and he does both effortlessly. Yuuji can’t say no to that, can he ?

That’s what brings him in the communal kitchen, in the backroom of the first floor, with two pounds of steak and a very colourful roast beef recipe on hand. He’s gotta make it good. This is his “thank you” note to Bokuto – a little something to make him aware that Yuuji needs only two things in people, love and starry eyes, and that Bokuto fulfils both so well it’s a wonder Yuuji hasn’t asked him out yet.

Or maybe he did, and _this_ is the date. Who knows.

Yuuji rubs the meat with dry herbs and spices, wondering how much exactly is “a pinch” of cayenne pepper. To be on the careful side, Yuuji adds two, and he figures that breathing fire is another cool power he wishes he’d had. Not that he’s unhappy with being a shifter, it’s just way less cool when you have heroes like Firefly or Ember, who can shoot actual lasers from their eyes, or something. Yuuji’s never seen any of them in action, he can’t really tell what’s been embellished by fans from actual accounts of their power.

Bokuto comes down at eight in the evening, and Yuuji is _ready_. He’s been marinating his meat for hours now, so it must taste really good. Bokuto sees him, smiles, and then he sees the quantity of meat next to Yuuji, and he laughs. Open mouthed, eyes crinkled, and Yuuji stares breathlessly until he’s done.

“Bro, that’s like, enough for five,” Bokuto manages to say in between hiccups of laughter. “We’re never gonna finish all this ! It’s not even cooked !”

“Shut up !” Yuuji wails, “I spent all afternoon on this !”

“That’s really sweet.” Bokuto has tears in his eyes, that he wipes off with the back of his hand. “I’m touched you thought about me. How did you know yakiniku was my favourite food ?”

“I…” Yuuji had no idea, he just wanted to impress Bokuto. “I guess it must have come up in the conversations,” he eventually says.

They’ve been talking. Another new routine for Yuuji, to have someone outside of the pack that he can go to when he’s bored, or happy, or sad. He’s heard from Bobata and Yukie, who have been doing pretty well, and he guesses a lot of the Sanctuary misfits must have fled back to China or Vietnam by now. Yeah, a lot must have fled back home. Too bad for Yuuji, since Japan is the closest he has to a home country, and they’re not too keen on letting him go.

Bokuto doesn’t ask questions though, that’s what the precog is there for. And ask questions he does – he’s been making drafts of what little Yuuji knows about foreign heroes and how they’re dealt with, and he’s been tracking down the root of some of the member’s powers. Apparently, the mafia’s been coming up with more and more augmented humans, and… Yuuji doesn’t need a drawing to understand why the Association would worry about it.

On the other hand, sheltered as he’s been in the forest, he can’t be certain they’re not making at least half of it up. Baldy’s powers didn’t seem natural, for sure, but to say they were artificially augmented is another step Yuuji’s not ready to take. He wonders what it means for shifters, to have those “powers on demand” pills the precog’s been talking about. To willingly choose to fuck yourself up, instead of just letting bad luck do the trick.

“Thanks, dude,” Bokuto says, dragging Yuuji out of his thoughts. “I’m sure everyone’ll be really happy to eat all that good meat.”

“It was for you,” Yuuji mumbles, and if Bokuto hears, he doesn’t say.

Shimizu-san and the others – half a dozen heroes, in bad shape for the most part – say thank you for the meal before they dig in, but Yuuji only has eyes for Bokuto. He eats one piece of meat, and closes his eyes, a delighted gasp coming out of his mouth almost involuntarily.

“Woah, Terushima, dude, that’s like, so good !” he exclaims around a mouthful of meat. “You gotta teach me one day !”

“Sure,” Yuuji answers, almost bashful.

The other heroes, retired or weary, go to bed way earlier than Yuuji does, which leaves him with plenty of time spent alone with Bokuto. Today, though, it’s as much a blessing as it is a curse. Yuuji can’t stop thinking about that delighted expression of Bokuto, of his eyes half closed and Yuuji’s name on his lips.

They’ve been getting quite close, recently.

Yuuji doesn’t know what exactly pushed Bokuto to reveal his face and name, because the other heroes certainly haven’t done the same. He doesn’t know why Bokuto would spend more and more time with him, when he’s officially being detained and possibly found guilty of the crime of wanting to live life unbothered by all those official things people here love. Maybe it’s because Bokuto doesn’t have the same kind of life story than the other heroes here. Maybe it’s because Bokuto wants, truly wants a friend. He’s not much of a playboy – too genuine for that, and maybe Yuuji wants more of it.

At nine, when all of the other heroes have gone to bed, Yuuji still sits in the backroom, cozied up on a sofa, and he smiles a little when he hears heavy footsteps approach.

“Oh, hi,” Bokuto says when he sees him. “I was hoping you’d be there.”

“Really ?” Yuuji playfully asks, but Bokuto’s brow is creased, and he doesn’t smile back.

“I’ve wanted to ask you,” he says, but then he stops, searching for the right words. Yuuji knows it’s hard for him – he hears thoughts, not words, and his brain has been hardwired to notice those little fluctuations that even the most literate person has trouble naming. “I wondered if… if you really cooked all that for me, I guess.”

“Of course I did,” Yuuji says softly. “I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

Bokuto’s face falls, and Yuuji realises he might have made a mistake saying this.

“Oh,” Bokuto’s voice is higher pitched than before, “thank me, that’s all. Ha ha, ok, cool.”

“Not like that, you doofus,” Yuuji smiles. “You know I like you.” The words are out of his mouth before he can swallow them into the darkness where they came from, and he turns pink.

The good thing is, Bokuto turns red. “Really ?” he asks, smile half there, still disbelieving.

“Really,” Yuuji says. “Now come here,” he pats the spot next to him.

Bokuto doesn’t make him ask twice, practically jogging up to snuggle besides Yuuji on the sofa. Their legs are touching and the burning sensation quickly fades into a quiet hum, reassuring and slow.

“I’m glad we feel the same,” Bokuto says, a few moments later, his eyelids droopy. “I’ve wanted a real friend for a while. A companion, whatever you call it. I’m not as lonely since you’ve arrived.”

“Go to sleep,” Yuuji whispers. “I’ll carry you back to bed.”

“I’m too beefy for you,” Bokuto says, and he laughs a little, the sound muffled by a yawn. “I’m the one who can carry you back to bed.”

“Ah yeah ?” Yuuji is so ready for this. He barely has the chance to do any exercise here, and he’s been missing the ache in his muscles from running too long.

Without missing a beat, he gets up and scoops Bokuto into his arms, barely giving him the time to loop his arms around Yuuji’s neck before he carries him up the stairs to Bokuto’s room. He stares at the numbers on the door for a little too long.

“Your room is 405,” Bokuto mumbles. 

“Oh. Oh, yeah, that works too,” Yuuji laughs.

He carries Bokuto to his bed, carefully laying him down on the mattress. Then, Bokuto makes grabby-hands at him, and who is Yuuji to resist the call for a little snuggle time ?

When morning comes, they’ll wake up with their limbs tangled, and maybe they’ll feel too warm – but then again, you’re never warm enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don't forget to feed your writers with kudos and comments !!


	3. stick it to the old people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am... late... sorry. this chapter is a little shorter and i'm quite certain the rest of them will be too, if i remember correctly. hope you enjoy !

“When you shift into a wolf, where do your piercings go ?” Bokuto asks one day. They’re holding hands at the tattoo parlour, the tattoo artist too engrossed in the music coming out of her earphones to pay them any attention.

“Huh. I suppose they go to the same place as my clothes. I’ve never really known why I don’t tear everything off like those wolves in Twilight.”

“Wicked,” Bokuto says. He winces in pain when the tattoo artist goes over the shading of the rose she’s inking. “I’ve always wanted to shift.”

“It’s pretty cool, yeah. I guess, if we continue the Twilight metaphor, that you’re Edward and you can hear people’s thoughts. And I’m Jacob.”

“I don’t wanna marry Bella,” Bokuto frowns. “She’s so lame. I think I’ll go for the werewolf instead.”

“Heck yeah !” Yuuji whoops, and the tattoo artist shakes her head, smiling.

Bokuto is getting a tattoo done on the inside of his right arm. It’s a rose, like the one in Beauty and the Beast, with petals falling off. Yuuji is here for moral support – it’s sorely needed, he realises, when it appears that Bokuto is a big baby and tattoos hurt too much for his sensitive little heart.

At least that’s what Yuuji says. He himself has always been too chicken to get tattoos, so he’s not one to speak, but – he’s eyeing the other lady in the shop, with her industrial bar and her snake bites, and he toys restlessly at the piercing on his tongue, wishing he had those too.

Bokuto seems to guess what’s going on inside his head, because he says, “I’d definitely kiss you if you had those,” and he gasps when Yuuji sticks his tongue out. “I hadn’t noticed your tongue was pierced ! You sneaky bastard !”

Yuuji can’t help but laugh. He smacks Bokuto on the leg, but he feels secretly proud of himself for getting that reaction. And a little excited, too – Bokuto did mention kissing.

They’ve been… toying the line between “bros” and “partners”, cuddling more often than not, sleeping in each other’s bed. They’ve been going slow, getting to know each other, and it’s – it’s been going well. Truly fantastic, if you ask Yuuji. 

“All done,” the tattoo artist says after a little pause, and Bokuto hoots. He does that often, Yuuji noticed, especially when he feels excited or relieved. Bokuto told him that though he wasn’t one himself, he had shifters in his family, which came as no surprise.

After they’ve paid, they go back to the Library, enjoying the long walk through the quiet neighbourhood. Their hands brush, and Yuuji imagines what it’d be like to intertwine their fingers once and for all.

He doesn’t think he’d be able to let go.

They near the entrance of the Library when they hear a shout. Shimizu-san is outside tending to the garden, and one very old lady is clutching her pearls, rather literally. “Young woman,” she says, voice quaking, “there are rascals trying to enter.”

“They live here,” Shimizu-san answers. The old lady pales, then reddens, and Yuuji almost wants to give her the finger. So what if they’re colourful, with their dyed hair and body mods ? Stick it to the old people, Yukie loved to say, and Yuuji understands what it’s like to not outgrow something, he truly does, but sometimes the closed-mindedness of the elderly is horrifying.

“Hi, Shimizu-san,” Bokuto says when they pass by her. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing,” she says, and she gives them a rare smile, like a flower blossoming amidst the snow. 

Yuuji knows, rather too well, what it’s like to feel dejected. He wasn’t born on the easy side of life, and he’s decided to enjoy it all the more after experiencing how awful it could be. Bokuto, on the other hand, has had to compose with being gifted – with being important, and letting people down is a fear bigger than what he can tackle. Yuuji knows, when he sees Bokuto’s shoulders drop, when he sees the downturn of his mouth, that the old lady’s words cut deeper than she ever intended them to.

“Bokuto, can you be a sweetheart and bring some tea upstairs ? I gotta clean the backroom a little, it’s my turn to do it,” he asks, and Bokuto mumbles that he’ll do it quickly.

Half an hour later, Yuuji is done putting books back on the shelves, and he goes to the kitchen area, fully expecting to see Bokuto still there, overthinking next to the kettle. He is right. Water is cooling off in a pair of matching cat mugs, but Bokuto hasn’t made a move to bring them to Yuuji’s room or the living room area. Brows knitted, he’s looking down at his hands. Each knuckle bears a tattoo, symbols and shapes like Yuuji had never seen before, and hasn’t asked about just yet. 

“Hey, Teru,” he asks when he notices Yuuji. “Do you think… do you think I made the wrong choice ?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuuji answers. “Is there something on your mind ?”

“Yeah, kinda. Don’t really wanna talk about it though. Too long to explain.”

“It’s ok, Bo. We’ll just drink the tea and watch some TV.”

“Sure. Thanks, man.” Bokuto seems to have aged a thousand years in the space of a mere hour, and he doesn’t notice the arm Yuuji puts around his shoulders immediately, startling and spilling some of his tea.

“It’s gonna be ok,” Yuuji whispers, hours later, after Bokuto has gone to sleep. “We’ll be ok.”


	4. upside down heroes

Yuuji starts crying only when he sees her. The roof of the convenience store has collapsed under the power of the storm, and he can’t move, _he can’t move_ , he can only scream in pain as she lifts the shelves that have collapsed atop him.

“Can you move, kiddo ?” she asks, giant hand shielding him from the debris. 

“My mommy is under that tree,” Yuuji answers, “please, my mommy is under that tree.”

“I can see her, kiddo. Can you move ? Do I need to carry you out ?”

Yuuji only wails harder. His left foot is crushed and he feels the pain so terribly – he may have fainted, he doesn’t know, but he wakes up in the back of an ambulance, his mother beside him. The EMTs are busy bees around them, keeping the gauze in place and monitoring their heartbeats. Yuuji sees his own heartbeat flatline – or maybe it’s his mother’s. He faints again.

This time, he wakes up in a hospital. The bed seems way too high for someone of Yuuji’s age, and way too low at the same time. He tries to move his feet, and he’s surprised at the way they kick the sheets. He tries to move away, and he’s surprised to find a chain at his ankle. That’s when he realises he can’t see colours clearly – and he smells _everything_ , and the noise is deafening.

It takes him a few hours to calm down. His breathing evens out, and he falls into a sort of daze – he’s shaken out of it by a nurse. She has bright blue and pink hair, and she crouches down to get on his level. “Sweetheart,” she says, “can you understand me ?”

Yuuji tries to speak, but a low whine is all that comes out. He can’t explain why yet, but his vocal chords can’t form words.

“You’ve shifted,” the nurse says. “It means that right now, you’re still a boy, but imprisoned in a wolf’s body. And it’s gonna take a lot of willpower to shift back, but I’m sure you can do it. Try that for me, all right, sweetheart ?”

Yuuji whines again, and focuses. The chain at his ankle is gone, and he tries moving his legs carefully. They bend in all the wrong places, and he thinks he’s going crazy -- but then, a warm wave comes down on him, and the sheets suddenly feels a lot harsher on his bare legs. 

“Wh- what happened,” he croaks out. “Where’s my mommy ?”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” the nurse says, and she really does seem sorry. “She couldn’t make it.”

Face ashen, Yuuji stares at her. It can’t be. He told the hero right where his mother was – he told her she was under the tree. Why didn’t the hero save her ? Yuuji wants to scream, but his throat feels too tight. He feels tears roll down his cheeks, and he doesn’t know how to make them stop. Heroes can’t save everyone, is the speech the hospital warden gives him. They have to make choices, and they have to think – Yuuji’s mother would want him to be safe first, before anyone took care of her.

Yuuji thinks that’s bullcrap. 

He’s never gonna forgive her, the hero who left his mother under that tree. Never.

* * *

Koutarou smiles at the young girl, hand full of flowers, and he guesses that’s why he chose to remain in the Association after all. She’s never gonna have it easy, she’ll be dealing with the side effects of those meds for her whole life, but she’s got a chance to heal, now, and to flourish. She’s got a second chance. That’s all that matters.

He remembers being eighteen and feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He remembers spending hours in that dark control room, directing faceless heroes towards the places they were most needed, tracking down people – what for ? Who decided this ? He remembers feeling everything everyone else felt, and nothing from his own head.

He cries.

Terushima is here to hold his hand this time. He shifts into a wolf and curls up on his lap, Koutarou running fingers through his thick yellow fur. The girl smiles, then, and asks if she can pet the wolf too. Terushima is like a wild animal, unpredictable, but right now he looks like a dopey golden retriever, tongue peeking out his mouth, and he licks her hands when she carefully approaches.

She laughs, and Koutarou thinks he’s on the path to healing.


	5. beach boys

Yuuji mournfully looks outside, and sighs. It’s about thirty five degrees Celsius and it’s really humid. All he wants is to shift into his wolf form and play with a hose. Bokuto isn’t doing much better; from where he’s leaning on his bed, Yuuji can see him mope.

“You know what we should do ?”

“Enlighten me,” Yuuji answers.

“We should go to the beach.”

“Bo, you can’t be serious. The beach ?”

“I am one hundred percent dead serious,” Bokuto vehemently says. “I want to go play with the waves. It’s been so long since I’ve had a vacation, the Association can’t say no. And if I promise to keep an eye on you, I bet they’ll let you come. It’s worth a shot !”

Sure thing, Jan, Yuuji thinks, but he doesn’t say it. The thought of Bokuto’s golden eyes glittering like the waves under the summer sun is enough to turn his mind to mush. And also, his atrociously gorgeous body, but, ahem, that’ll be left for another fantasy.

“Ok, say we can go to the beach,” Yuuji says. “How do we manage to do that without people calling the police on me ?”

“Easy,” Bokuto answers, like he’s been planning this coup like a mastermind. “We ask Oskar to shapeshift us. Should last about half a day.”

“Can I be shapeshifted into something ?” Yuuji wonders. “I’m not sure that’d work.”

“Oh, yeah, didn’t think about that. Maybe you can go in wolf shape and I’ll say you’re my beautiful, rare breed dog.”

“Shut up,” Yuuji mumbles, but he smiles. “I’ll ask Oskar when he’s back from his run.”

As it turns out, Oskar can and will shift other shifters, and he shoves at Yuuji’s shoulder a little too hard as he says he’ll help out. “Take care of that owl,” Oskar warns, voice rough. “He’s been through ‘nough.” Yuuji nods, solemn.

It takes a few days for the Association to agree to let them go, and Bokuto laughs delightedly when they finally get the answer from Shimizu-san. Other heroes want to join, and the Association allows them to borrow a minivan. Yuuji can’t drive and neither can Bokuto, so they both sit in the back with their legs tangled and their swimming trunks already on. Oskar did a pretty good job, though the change is more spectacular on Bokuto than on him.

Bokuto looks like a salaryman, in the worst possible way. His hair is all brown and parted neatly on the side, his chin has become square, and he’s sporting an impressive number of freckles. Yuuji must admit the freckles are cute, but he won’t regret it when Bokuto changes back.

He himself has a buzzcut, and his eyes have turned from amber to an actually quite beautiful green. He’s also become lanky like a twig, which is a change he did not expect.

They reach the beach in about an hour. Bokuto is the last out of the van, due to seat placement, but he’s the first in the water, forgetting his bag and discarding shirt and shoes in a wild run for the waves. He doesn’t stop until the water comes up to his waist, and he lets the waves crash over him, eyes closed, humming thoughtfully. He doesn’t turn his head when Yuuji catches up with him, and he says, in the smallest voice possible, “I think the fish over there is lusting over my feet.”

Yuuji can’t help it – he laughs until he cries, almost swallowing a mouthful of seawater when a particularly forceful wave washes over them. “Dude,” he says when he’s regained some of his composure, “you can’t just _say_ shit like that !”

“Did you know,” Bokuto continues, still looking at the sea, “that I started hearing animals’ thoughts first ? When I was about three. I learned how to speak human at eleven.”

Oh. Yuuji feels bad for laughing, suddenly, and he grabs Bokuto’s hand in his and squeezes tight. “What am I thinking about now, Bo ?”

“You’re sad,” Bokuto says after a while. “You miss the others. You feel really sad, for – I can’t tell. Too many people here. I think coming to the beach was a bad idea after all.”

“Dude, no way,” he protests. “We’ve only just arrived. It can only get better from here, right ?”

Bokuto hums thoughtfully. He doesn’t say much while they swim as far as they’re allowed to, and he softly asks for them to swim back after they’ve touched the seaweed growing on the bottom of the sea.

Oskar hasn’t shapeshifted any of their most… defining features, and Yuuji’s tongue and ear piercings glitter under the sun. Bokuto’s top surgery scars are also still there, and Yuuji wonders if he’d have liked them off. He doesn’t ask.


	6. bed, bath and beyond

Yuuji wants a dog, several rats, maybe a cat, and lots of other animals, because half being one makes him crave the company of some, you know ? And when he tries to explain that to Oskar, all he gets is a tilted head and a gentle “We’re not allowed to have pets in here, you know… I had to leave my cat with my sister in Volgograd.”

Yuuji never asked Oskar why he left Russia for Japan, too afraid that the answer lies in the massive scar on his right arm, and he doesn’t ask now. Some things are better left unstirred, better left forgotten in the darkest pits of one’s brains. So instead, he pesters Bokuto to let him play Animal Crossing on his Nintendo DS, happy to be away from Yukie’s mockery.

Bokuto has been quiet recently. Something has disturbed the awkward balance they’d found, and now, cuddle time is cut short when Bokuto says he has to go back to his bed, instead of sleeping in Yuuji’s room like they’re used to by now. It stings a little, but Bokuto must have his reasons. He’s been called up to help with the Association a lot more these days, and it makes him exhausted and grumpy.

To add to that, Yuuji’s been feeling caged-in – he can’t go much further than the garden (apart from that blessed, blessed beach holiday), and hasn’t been allowed contact with his packmates, which leaves him unhappy and upset. No matter how many times he asks, he’s denied permission to talk to them, and he hasn’t heard from any of them since Yukie and Bobata’s messages telling him they’re okay. 

So, like everyone expected, one day, he runs away.

Really, it’s not a thing he’s contemplated for a while, weighed the odds on, or given much thought to before it happened. He was happy to be by Bokuto’s side, happy to rest at last, but…

He is half animal, after all, and animals don’t like cages.

Yuuji missed the wind, the mountains and the runs in the wild. Shifted into his wolf form, the pounding of his paws rattling through his entire body, he feels like he can breathe at last. The wind blowing through his fur is comforting. He misses the Sanctuary. He had tried to push that feeling down, but he can’t deny it – as much as he likes Bokuto, and the Library, and the company of the quiet retired heroes, it’s just not the same as having his packmates here with him. He wants to see them so bad, he misses them, like one misses the air when smothered.

The air crackles. It comes as no surprise that Bokuto is trying to contact him, and Yuuji stops his wild escape for a minute, panting harshly.

“Dude, where are you ? I’ve been looking everywhere in the Library,” Bokuto says, audibly panicked.

“I…” Yuuji doesn’t know what to respond. “I’m sorry,” he ends up replying. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You ran away,” Bokuto realises, and he curses under his breath. “Shit, Terushima, we’re gonna be in so much trouble.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’ ? I’m the one who left.” Rain has started falling, filtered by the leaves, and Yuuji has to strain his hearing to catch Bokuto’s next words.

“I don’t wanna tell them where you are. If you wanna escape, I can’t and won’t stop you.”

Yuuji feels torn, but eventually, he turns around and starts walking. It takes him way longer to trek the whole way back, especially now that the soil is muddy, and he arrives at the Library long after dinner. Shimizu-san is on the porch, reading one of the new books. 

“Yuuji-kun,” she smiles. “I’m glad you’re back. The bath is ready.”

Still in his wolf form, Yuuji can only growl as a thank you. He doesn’t want to change back, but when he realises that he’d put mud everywhere, he shifts into his human form, and removes his shoes before entering.

The door to the bath is ajar, and he can hear tuneless humming – Bokuto must be inside. “Dude, you there ?” Yuuji asks.

“Ah, yeah, Shimizu told me the bath was ready.”

“Can I come in ?” Yuuji is ready to turn around, but the answer comes quickly.

“Sure ! It’s big enough for the two of us.”

When he enters, Yuuji is hit by a wave of steam, and he coughs until his sensitive senses have adjusted. When he finally manages to see clearly, he spots Bokuto, neck-deep in the water, and… 

“Are those baby ducks ?” Yuuji asks, incredulous, and when Bokuto nods, he laughs so hard he almost slips on the wet floor. The ducklings flap their wings in panic, but Bokuto calms them down, cheeks rosy, from the heat or the embarrassment, Yuuji can’t tell.

“Oskar shifted my plastic ducks into real ones. It’ll wear off soon, but… Right now I have five children and I’m the happiest father in the world.”

It’s strange how Bokuto doesn’t realise how important he is. Oskar would have likely hit him on the head had Yuuji suggested that, but Bokuto probably didn’t even have to make pleading eyes before his request was accepted. 

After removing all his (very dirty) clothes, Yuuji steps under the shower head, rinsing off the mud. When he is finally clean enough, he walks to the bath, and Bokuto scoots away to make space for him. The ducklings squawk and wiggle in panic, but they settle once Yuuji is in the bath, submerged almost entirely. He opens his eyes under the water and sees their little legs paddle, which makes him snicker. 

“They’re baby,” he says once he’s back up. “I can’t believe you got children and didn’t wait for me.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart…” Bokuto jokes, but the word makes Yuuji turn red, and they both stop breathing for a moment.

Bokuto is so close, pupils dilated, skin dewy and tan. He is gorgeous, as always, but this time it’s like there’s something more. “I’m glad you came back,” he whispers. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Say that again and I’ll kiss you,” Yuuji whispers back. Bokuto leans in, then, and slots their mouths together. The kiss is over all too soon, a mere press of Bokuto’s lips against his, but it leaves Yuuji light-headed and giddy. “Do that again.”

They stop kissing only when all the ducklings turn into plastic, and the water is cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter !!! i will soon add a link to the gorgeous piece of art Sam created for this !! don't forget the kudos and comments, please !!  
> have a good day !!


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